Phyllis Brackenbury

Julie Burton

Chris Cook

Sean Kelly

Scott Mason

Steve McLaren

Gaynor Rossiter

Sally Seeley

David Stewart

None.

Minutes of the meeting held on 31 October 2016 (for confirmation)

The minutes of the meeting held on 31 October 2016 were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

Report of the Joint Directors of Education

Patrick Fielding, Director of Education, introduced his report which provided the Board with a summary of outcomes for 2016 in raising attainment levels in education for Children and Young People. Patrick highlighted the following:

(a)  in the Early Years Foundation Stage there is a good level of development. Nottingham is below the national average but is slowly improving with the gap reducing and a move up the ranking;

(b)  a phonics package has been developed to promote improvement in this area. This has raised the profile of phonics and encouraged improvement in Nottingham’s rankings;

(c)  there have been improvements at Key Stage 1 assessments, with the gap reducing in reading, writing and maths;

(d)  at Key Stage 2 Nottingham has increased rank in both the Reading, Writing and Maths, and the Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling scores. Nottingham is now at the national average for maths, which is a big achievement;

(e)  there are three measures of achievement for Key Stage 4: Progress 8, Attainment 8 and The Basics. The 8 covers 8 subjects and The Basics is English and maths. Nottingham is below average for all three measures, but improving. It can be difficult for the Council to promote improvement at this stage as most schools are academies, but it can do so through Recovery Plans which recommend solutions;

(f)  a Council priority is for all children to be educated in a good or outstanding school- this figure currently stands at 82%, with Nottingham being the most improved Council in the region for this;

(g)  school attendance has improved , with targets being exceeded and the city moving up league tables on this measure. The Council puts pressure on schools and academies to ensure that children attend school regularly and celebrates high attendance through the Lord Mayor’s awards programme;

(h)  the Education Improvement Board is chaired by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nottingham and has key stakeholders from the Council, universities and colleges. It is pushing to kick-start citywide initiatives on attendance, literacy, maths, transition and teacher recruitment.  

RESOLVED to note the content of the report

John Matravers, Service Manager, Safeguarding Partnerships, introduced the report and highlighted the following:

(a)  this report relates to 2015/16, but it is the most up-to-date information available. In future there will be an aim to get this report distributed at an earlier date. This report has also been shortened from previous years’ to make it more legible;

(b)  the report provides a rigorous and transparent assessment of the performance and effectiveness of the Safeguarding Children Board and local work to keep children and young people safe;

(c)  key topics and emerging themes include engagement, neglect, physical abuse, the Prevent agenda, asylum seekers, financial pressures and safeguarding education;

(d)  improvements this year include the engagement of a dedicated Chair, development of a challenge log, improved representation on sub-groups, development of the Dedicated Safeguarding Leads network, and embedding the Signs of Safety approach;

John then showed the Board a short animated video which has been developed by the Safeguarding Children Board and the Clinical Commissioning Group, encouraging a change of culture in recording children who do not come to reviews and appointments from ‘Did not Attend’ to ‘Was not Brought’.

Presentation by Daniel Gray

Daniel Gray, Think Forward, gave a presentation to the Board, highlighting the following:

(a)  Think Forward is a charity that started in London, and aims to prevent children and young people becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). The lifetime cost of a NEET cohort has been found to be £35 billion, which is five times the annual government spend on targeted services for young people. NEET young people are also three times more likely to have depression and five times more likely to have a criminal record;

(b)  Think Forward’s long term aim is to provide young people with the skills for sustained employment. It promotes good attendance, behaviour and academic progression in school. The programme uses coaching and provides a dedicated coach for the most disadvantaged young people from ages 13 to 18. It also works with businesses to provide opportunities for young people in order to improve their employability;

(c)  at the moment the coaches are working in four schools in Nottingham, providing one to one coaching, enrichment activities and business engagement. The coaches work with those most at risk of unemployment based on figures for attendance, behaviour, academic progress, SEN status and care status in year 8, and through consultation with the schools;

(d)  a young person’s readiness for work is measured using 8 categories, with everything being tailored to achieve these. The programme in London has resulted in positive outcomes for the young people, with 90% in work, university or college;

The following answers were given during the discussion which followed:

(e)  the funding for Think Forward comes from schools, but also charity donations, grants and partnerships with businesses;

(f)  in Nottingham the programme has only been running for its first term on a five year programme. There has been interest from other schools;

(g)  the coaching sessions do not usually take place during school lesson time. They are mostly after school or during school holidays.

RESOLVED to thank Daniel for his presentation.

John Yarham, CEO, Futures Advice, Skills and Employment, gave a presentation to the Board highlighting the following:

(a)  Futures is a social enterprise, part owned by Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council. Due to budget cuts, it has had to adapt and develop in recent years;

(b)  Futures works in every city secondary school and with every 14-19 year old, but mostly with those at risk of becoming NEET. In Nottingham City, 2.82% of Year 11 school leavers go on to be NEET and 0.55% are unknown;

(c)  the Aspire Education Business Partnership links businesses with schools and has worked successfully with 21 primary schools, 16 secondary schools adn3 special schools to raise aspiration, attainment and employability;

(d)  there are currently 1927 young people being worked with in all 22 city secondary schools who are at most risk of becoming NEET. There are likely to be other young people not known which is a concern, but Nottingham’s number of the unknowns is the lowest of any major city;

(e)  one issue which requires further input is a focus on those young people who are less at risk of becoming NEET but who have low aspirations.

The Board were then shown a short video highlighting the work of Futures.

The following points were raised during the discussion which followed:

(f)  work begins at Key Stage 2 in primary schools, with Aspire working with around 20 primary schools and pupils being linked with employers. It is important that this continues throughout schooling;

(g)  there is a problem of low ambition in parts of Nottingham with low awareness of non-traditional and alternative careers;

(h)  the voluntary sector and the Youth Cabinet may be able to help to engage with those unknown young people.

RESOLVED to thank John for his presentation.

Report of the Corporate Director for Children and Adults

Jon Rea, Engagement and Participation Lead, introduced the report which gave an update of Quarter 3 activity of the Youth Cabinet and associated work under the CYP Participation in Governance Plan. John highlighted the following:

(a)   the Participation in Governance theme this term has been Learning and Earning – Education Work and Training, with conversations around life skills and opportunities, and helping young people to connect to activities available in the city;

(b)  In November the Youth Cabinet hosted a special conference for secondary school students around transition, both from primary to secondary school and from secondary school to further education. 9 different secondary schools participated and it is hoped this can be repeated as it is a good way to maintain relationships between the council and secondary academies;

(c)  there were two successful Primary Parliament events in November at the Council House around the theme of Learning and Earning. Partners included the Library Service and Opportunity Notts;

(d)  in November eight young people from the Children in Care Council took part in the Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Day, by working with Councillors, MPs, Council managers the Communications and Marketing Team and Loxley restaurant. It is hoped that this can be repeated and that Partners can be involved;

(e)  a plan of engagement for young people in city special schools and learning support units has now been put in place for Quarter 4. This will be co-produced with students from Oak Field School;

(f)  the Youth Cabinet is planning for the next financial year, with mental health, healthy weight, exclusion, financial education and play and yoyth work identified as issues;

Jon mentioned that the Council continues to support the National Citizenship Service (NCS), including for Children in Care and Care Leavers. Members mentioned that most participants in the local are come from the Nottinghamshire area rather than the city, as barriers exist such as the £50 cost and social barriers like peer pressure. However, there are bursaries available for low income families, and overall participant numbers have increased.

Jon also thanked the current Sherriff of Nottingham, Councillor Jackie Morris, for her general support of the participation agenda.

RESOLVED to

(1)  recognise the work done by the Youth Cabinet and associated participation forums in enabling and empowering children and young people to have a voice in decision making processes;

(2)  use the CYP Participation in Governance programme to engage with children and young people in order to involve them in decision making.

Councillor Sam Webster congratulated Chris Cook on behalf of the Board for receiving an OBE for services to children.

Alison Michalska informed the Board that there will be an Ofsted inspection at the Council for 2 weeks, beginning Monday 23^rd January. This will mainly focus on social work.

The coroner’s inquest into the death of Shanay Walker will begin in February and this is likely to attract press interest.